The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced a price hike for the FASTag annual pass, set to take effect from April 1. The revised fee structure will raise the cost of the pass by Rs 75, taking the total from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,075. The change applies to non-commercial vehicles with a valid FASTag.
With just a few days left before the new financial year begins, frequent highway travellers who want to recharge at the current price are running short on time.
What Are The New FASTag Annual Pass Charges?
Under the updated pricing, the FASTag annual pass will cost Rs 3,075 starting April 1, up from the existing Rs 3,000. The Rs 75 increase applies to private, non-commercial vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans. The pass is valid at around 1,150 fee plazas across National Highways and National Expressways in the country.
Launched in August last year, the FASTag annual pass was designed to remove the need for frequent recharges. It works as a prepaid, one-time payment option that allows cashless travel at NHAI toll plazas for one year or 200 trips, whichever comes first.
It is particularly useful for people who regularly travel between cities, including those commuting within the NCR region or making frequent trips to their hometowns. Since its launch, the pass has built a user base of over 56 lakh people, according to NHAI.
How Can You Recharge The FASTag Annual Pass?
The recharge can be done through the Rajmarg Yatra App or the official NHAI website. Once the one-time payment is made, the annual pass gets activated on the vehicle's existing FASTag within two hours.
For context, FASTag is a mandatory electronic toll collection system that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. An RFID sticker linked to the user's bank account or wallet is placed on the vehicle's windshield.
At toll plazas, the sticker is scanned and toll charges are deducted automatically, with a transaction message sent to the user for each deduction.